Process of protecting vegetation



April 23, 1935. c. w. wwf 1,998,856

PROCESS OF PROTECTING VGETATION' Filed Auge, 1935 Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED sTATEs g PATENT OFFICEl 1 Claim.

This invention relates toa process of protecting vegetation from damage by frosting and sun' burning temperatures, and also other causes, and it is related to my prior invention on which I filed applications for United States Letters Patent for Apparatus for preventing frost damage .to vegetation, and on which patents were granted March 8, 1932, No. 1,848,398 and April 11, 1933, No. 1,993,615, respectively.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to protect vegetation from excessive damage by either frosting or sun-burning temperatures, land this is accomplished by keeping the vegetation in a state of semi-violent .agitation to thereby increase the ow of sap therein and also build up a resistance in the vegetation that will enable it to withstand relatively long periods of either freezing or sun-burning temperatures without material damage.

In other words my process includes causing the vegetation to sway violently to and fro to thereby alternately stretch and contract its ber so the sap will be continually kept in motion to prevent it from clogging the circulation in exposed places where in frosting temperatures it is liable to freeze, or in high temperatures permits sun-burning for lack of plenty of, moisture in the fruit and foliage.

In addition to increasing the circulation of sap, the semi-violent agitation of the vegetation develops an electrical energy therein that aids it greatly in passing uninjured through relatively long periods of frosting and freezing temperatures. vThe foregoing results I have determined by actual experiments in which I have kept one zone of vegetation uninjured by the treatment hereinbefore mentioned, while outside of this zone the-other vegetation'was greatly injured. In other words, the rubbing of the vegetable ber either within or without the vegetation develops electrical energy, as is well known, and such energy I have found a great aid in preventing frost or sun-burning damage to vegetation.

This semi-violent agitation of the vegetation I accomplish by causing an extensive and continual varied displacement of the air over and through the vegetation that causes it to sway to and fro with considerable violence that obviously enhances the flow of sap therein, and also to buildup an increased energy in the vegetation, as previously stated.

To aid in preventing frost damage to the vegetation, I charge the driven air with dust that in addition to clouding the area, also settles on the fruit and foliage as a cover, and to aid in preventing hightemperatures 'from injuring the fruit and foliage I charge the driven air withwater that prevents the sap' from being evaporated. Bly preventing the Aheat from evaporating the sap, I also prevent the fruit and foliage from wllting and thereby avoid the stunting of both fruit and foliage.

In my process, if desired, I may use both the dust and water with the displaced air; and in instances of very cold and also hot temperatures, I have found it benecial to the vegetation to 'simultaneously use all three of these elements.

Another object in supplying the driven air with 'both dust and water -is toadd weight thereto so it can be driven a greater distance to thereby protect the vegetation over a greater area.

' Other objects, advantages and features of'inventon in my process may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claim. A

The accompanying drawing illustrates my process, in which:

Figure `l is a semi-diagrammatic-view of an orchard illustrating how I drive the air to cause a semi-violent swaying to and fro of the trees therein to increase vtheir resistance to either a sun-burning or frosting temperature; also diagrammatically' showing a tower with a propeller thereon that I utilize in my process for agitating the vegetation and spraying it with moisture and covering it with dust.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental central vertical section A through the upper portion of the tower showing how my propeller is utilized for displacing the air .and distributing moisture and dust over the vegetation, with many parts indicated diagrammatically.

Fig. 3 is yan enlarged cross section on ythe line 3 3, Fig. 1, showing a plan view of the annular dust bin and its revolving hood.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view of a tomato vine shown in its natural position by full lines, and by dotted lines indicating it as swayed to and fro to keep the ultra-violet rays' of the sun from being concentrated on its fruit and foliage, showing the alternating current of air by horizontal` arrows, and also by vertical dash lines and arrows indicating the ultra-,violet rays of the sun.

In my process I employ a propeller I0 that is secured to the outer end of a hollow shaft I I that is mounted on bearings I2 and I3 that are secured on the top of a revolving platform I4. Theplatform I4 is rotatably` mounted on the top of a stationaryplatform I5 that is supported by a tower I6. The tower I6 is preferably erected in an advantageous position in either an orchard Aor field where vegetation is to be protected from frost, sun-burn or the ravages of insects l and their larvl i Preferably the bearings I2 and I3 are arranged so the outer end of the shaft I I is inclined downwardly about eight degrees and its inner end is held adjacent to and above the tube I1 that is arranged centrallyin the tower I6, and the plat# form I4 revolves around the upper end of the tube I1.

Arranged central in the tube I1 is a waterpipe I8 that is connected to the hollow shaft II 5 by a pipetting I9 and packing nut 20 so the shaft can revolve on the pipe `extension 2I, as semi-diagrammatically shown in Figs. 1 and 2`. The lower end of the pipe I8 is arranged to revolve in a water-tight box 22 that is supported 10 under a lower platform 23 by the bracket 24. The box 22 is connected by' a pipe 25 to a pump 26 that is driven by an engine 21 to draw water through pipe 28 from some source of supply not shown but well understood in the industry of l5 spraying and irrigating vegetation.

The pipe 25 has a valve 29 that can be opened and closed as may be desired to supply water` to or cut it off from the hollow shaft II. The

shaft I I is supplied witha gear 30 that can be connected in the usualway to the shaft by an engine 3I that is shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and preferably these parts are constructed and arranged so the propeller I0 can be driven with great speed and power so it will* displace the air over an extensive area and drive it with great force over and through the' vegetation.

In 'addition to rotating the propeller I0 to displace the air, I also turn its shaft I I in the path of a circle so that the direction in which the air is driven is continuously changing. This is ac 'complished by revolving the platform I4 on which the shaft Il is mounted. The platform I4 is mounted centrally on the stationary platform I5 and is supported thereon by caster wheels l 32.

An annular internal gear 33 is secured on the top of the platform .I5 and meshing with the gear is a pinion 34 on a shaft 35 that is mounted in the bearings 36 that are secured to the platform I4. The shaft has bevel gears 31 that 40 engage a bevel gear 38 on the shaft 38 of a motor 4l that is secured on the top of the platform I4. .When the motor 40 is driven it will rotate the platform I4 lto turn the shaft II in all radial' directions from the center of the tower |81 An annular dust-bin 4I is secured by staggered arms 42 to the tower I6 so it is just behind and below the tip ends 43 of the propeller blades so that as they are revolved they will cause suction that will draw dust out of the bin 4I through theports44andcarrythedustupintothepath of the driven air.

I provide a hood 45 that is slidably mounted on the upper portion-of the stationary bin 4I so it normally covers all of the ports 44 except those that are between the tip end of the propeller blades when in their lowest position and the vertical center of the tower.

This hood 45 is connected to the platform I4 by carrier rods 43# a ladder 41. The rods 44 have turn buckles 48 whereby a properly ad- 1 that suction in advance of the propeller will aid construction. This copending application was filed August 8, 1933 and has the Serial Number The hoog 45 is cut away or slotted at 53 so it uncoversabout a half dozen of the ports 44 5 just back of Ythe tip ends of the propeller blades when in their lowest position of rotation; and as the propeller and hood tum in a circle in time with one another the ports 44 are successively opened bythe slot 53.

Dust is supplied to the bin 4I by a pipe 54 and blower 55. The blower is driven by an engine 56 shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. Dust from a source of supply not shown is supplied to the blower 55 by a pipe 51 fragmentally shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

From the foregoing it can be readily seen that when the engines 3i and 40 are driven the propeller-will be turned in a circle around .the stationary platform I5 and rotated to displace the air over an extensive area; and also when the pump engine 21 is driven and the valve 29 is opened that the water will be fed to the driven air in advance of the propeller. It is obvious in 'dispensing the water throughout the driven air, and that the air as so saturated will thereby be driven a greater distance. It is also obvious that the water can be charged with chemicals to destroy insects and their larvae that may be present in the vegetation.

' When the propeller is driven as stated and the engine 56 is driven to feed dust to the annularbin 4I by actuation of the blower 55, suction from the tip ends of the propeller I0 will draw dust from the ports 44, as described, to mix with the driven air. The dust can be chemically treated so it'vrill'destroy the various insects and their larvae that infest orchards and fields.

In Fig. 1 three trees of an orchard are shown as swayed from lines a to lines la by the impact of the driven air from the propeller III; and also showing-the trees swayed from lines a to lines c when the propeller `has moved from its full line to its dotted line position in which it is driving the air in an opposite direction. It is obvious that the circular movement of the propeller .around the top of the tower will cause a cyclonical motion to the driven air which will'cause they foliage of the vegetation to sway to and fro in a great number of directions so that practically all of the vegetable ber is exercised.

In Fig.4 I illustrate how the continuous motion of the air causes the tomato plant 58 to move to and fro so the ultra-violet rays 5l from the lsun cannot be concentrated on any one spot on f driving moistened air over and through the vegetationsuflicientlytodaxnpenitsothatdustwillA more readily adhere thereto, then driving a mixtureofairanddustoverandthrough thevegetation, and then, after a predetermined period 7 of time has passed, artincially the dust. oi! the vegetation.

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